September 8, 2021
117,190
1,974
788
2.36%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
8:05Now PlayingJAY-Z and Beyonce starred last month in a Tiffany & Co. ad campaign, "About Love", which featured the Lemonade singer adorning a 128.54-carat Fancy Yellow Diamond necklace valued at $30 million.
The Carters and the carats weren't the main attraction in the ad, but the rare Jean Michel Basquiat painting that was hung in the background was.
After receiving backlash on social media for using a famous anti-capitalist artist's work to sell jewelry, JAY-Z and Beyonce are now facing criticism from some of Jean-Michel Basquiat's close friends and collaborators.
Alexis Adler, who lived alongside Basquiat from 1979 to 1980, said that she had seen the advertisement "a few days ago" and was shocked. She said, "The commercialization of Jean's art and the commodification thereof at this time -- it's not really what Jean was about."
Adler is also offended by the fact that Basquiat’s un-before-seen robin eggs blue painting, dubbed equals Pi was revealed in an ad campaign. It will now be permanently displayed at Tiffany’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue.
She said, "Unfortunately, Jean's art was not available to museums until late. Therefore, most of Jean's art is private and people don't have the opportunity to see it except for the shows." It's not a prop for an advertisement. It can be loaned to a museum. He wanted to be able to visit a museum, even though there was very little representation of Black artists in Western museums.
Al Diaz, another Basquiat contemporary, believes his work is being misinterpreted. He collaborated with him on the street art duo SAMO.
Diaz stated that people think his association with luxury is because he was impressed by that shit. But he could care less." It's more than wearing Armani suits. It wasn't because the stitching was amazing or well-made that he wore it.
He said, "It's lost on translation." The depth is not visible to the naked eye. Basquiat was only targeting people at this point, so they can't afford one. You're the oppressor. They purchase it so it is meaningless."
Click Here To Get Our New Merchandise
Join this channel to get access to perks:
The Latest Hip Hop News, Viral Headlines, And Breaking stories. News Updated Daily
**********************************************************************
SUBSCRIBE TO HIP HOP UNCENSORED HERE
**********************************************************************
Podcast Link
Check Out Our Website
Follow Us On Instagram
Follow Us On Twitter
Like Our Facebook Page
Serious Business Inquiries ogod@hiphopun.com
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.